gridoon2018 "Murder On The Blackboard", the second Hildegarde Withers film is, frankly, a disappointment. There is some amusing banter between Edna May Oliver and James Gleason, a bigger role and a couple of funny bits for Edgar Kennedy, the rather strikingly modern-looking, and modern-acting, Gertrude Michael (who also stole the show in another mystery film made the same year, "Murder At The Vanities") in a supporting role as a suspect....and not much beyond that. The whole mystery never really grabs you, and its solution is pretty ho-hum. Worst of all, the film moves so slowly that it becomes a struggle to keep watching it sometimes (a lot of screen time seems to be consumed by the characters wandering around a dark cellar). Leonard Maltin's 3-star rating is a bit too generous in my opinion, I don't think this film is any better than the Ellery Queen films that he so heavily bashes; I give it ** out of 4.

vincentlynch-moonoi A week or so ago I watched "The Penguin Pool Murder", which was made 2 years earlier in this series. On the one hand, that film was, quite simply, a better mystery and in a more unique setting -- the New York City Aquarium. But, "Murder On The Blackboard" has characters that have been fleshed out better, and you can see an improvement in production values here (although, it appears that the soundtrack on this film has deteriorated).As with "The Penguin Pool Murder", the delight here is Edna May Oliver and her facial expressions and lovable verbal barbs, and playing off James Gleason, whose role here is much improved. The other actors and actresses are fine, but the real focus is on Oliver and Gleason.The mystery itself is decent, with a storyline that works and, at the end, the two lead characters do tie up a few loose ends. Key to a good murder mystery is developing it so that two or more characters had logical motives for the murder, and this film does that. I was never quite positive which of 3 characters did it in this film, right up until the very end.Recommended for a view, but probably not on your DVD shelf.

75groucho This is a quintessential 'Late Show' movie, a low-key murder mystery with charming character actors in service to a mild plot. Edna May Oliver is the keystone of the picture, an elementary school teacher with a taste for adventure in murder mysteries. "Murder On The Blackboard" is a sequel to another Edna May Oliver-James Gleason picture so the characters are already well established. The pacing is brisk and the plot is well assembled, making for an enjoyable film. One problem for viewers might be the C&C Movietime version of this film. That version has the first half-hour cut out, which saves time but butchers the narrative. Those who pick up the thread with Oliver's character searching for the body are missing about thirty minutes of important exposition. Regardless of the editing, this is an amusing comic murder mystery deserving of your attention.

SkippyDevereaux This is the first of three films that had the great pairing of Edna Mae Oliver and James Gleason in the roles of Hildegarde Withers and Oscar Piper. These three films are much better than the last three that starred James Gleason first with Helen Broderick and then with Zasu Pitts. It may be dated, but it still holds up as good entertainment even after all these years.